A Little Mischief
by Wamakai
Summary: Ashi feels a little mischievous and bothers our favourite samurai. I'm sorry the description sucks. I've been out of it for a while. Still, R&R? Many thanks!


**Hey everyone. So, I recently watched Samurai Jack and I was ecstatic at Jack and Ashi getting together (despite it feeling a little rushed). Here is a little oneshot of how I feel their romance probably could have started if the creators had maybe extended their story a bit. Also, since the ending left me a bit angsty and empty, I may post another story with the details I wish they had added. All the same, please enjoy this and let me know what you think? Many thanks.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Samurai Jack or any of the characters and or locations you may recognise from the cartoon. I am only responsible for the plot, a few original locations and characters and nothing else.**

The wind rose and blew gently through the field of grass, rolling gracefully like waves on the ocean. A single hill sat in the middle of this tranquil field and upon it grew a large tree. Its bark bespoke of the ages it had lived, the years it had seen. It seemed there were still parts of the world that had escaped Aku's destructive force. Jack had seen a few in the time he'd taken on his quest but for Ashi, this was only one of the few.

She and her sisters had not been allowed to venture outside of their dark world – built for them as they grew in the knowledge of Aku as their Lord and Master. It all seemed so long ago now. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head on them looking at the samurai beside her.

He sat cross-legged beside her, his sword on his left. He had his eyes closed in deep concentration – probably trying to calm his spirit or something. She had tried meditating with him once and had ended up falling fast asleep. He had laughed as he nudged her awake and she'd muttered a sheepish apology.

Jack had been many things to Ashi in the few months they had travelled together. He had taught her much of the world before and after Aku. He had been there to help her when she fought to control her own feelings. He had taught her how to make peace with her soul and her mind. He too had a past that he was struggling to come to terms with – then again, in such a ravaged world, who could say they didn't?

She stared at his profile. His hair was as neat as ever, held up with a pin. She had seen it down before. She couldn't decide whether she liked it this way or flowing down his neck in a dark cascade. His face was calm as always – unmarred and perfect. His lips…

She turned away flushing slightly. It had been several villages back that she had started to discover something else she felt for Jack. It wasn't any meaningful thing he had done either. They had been there to spend the night before moving on. They had arrived during a time of festivities so of course they were asked to join in by the friendly villagers.

A little girl had put a flower in her hair and, noticing that Jack didn't have any flowers on him, she'd put a lei around his neck. He'd looked surprised for a moment… but then he'd smiled. And that was all it had taken. He'd instantly had his attention drawn away by some children taking his hands and dragging him away to play some game or help them with some project – she couldn't remember – but it was after that that she realised she more than liked being around him. It wasn't the same feeling as having a parent or what she understood from observing villagers with children or families together.

It was the first time she'd tried doing anything remotely mischievous – probably in her entire life and this had become the one time she realised she had some feelings for him. Her life before Jack was serious and dark and in the early days of knowing the samurai, she'd been bent on getting revenge for her sisters.

She still ached for them sometimes. They had chosen their paths however and their battle had been to the death. It was really only sheer dumb luck that had kept her alive. Seeing how hard she'd made Jack's life after that, she wondered why he'd decided to keep her alive anyway. Maybe because he'd seen something in her – whatever _that_ was.

And now, after discussing it with the old woman in the previous town they had been to, she was sure of it.

She was in love with Jack.

Life was funny like that. She had been raised specifically for the purpose of ending his life or dying by his hand. Her sole purpose was the elimination of the samurai. Now, she couldn't really imagine an existence without him.

A small mischievous smile played on her lips as she watched him. Sometimes Jack's meditation would last minutes and sometimes it would last hours. She usually left him to it and made sure no enemies were about but today, she was keen on some trouble. She shifted quietly and rose to walk down the hill.

One of Jack's eyes opened watching her go down the hill and then closed when he realised she was not in any danger. He settled back into his meditative state.

She came back a moment later, a blade of grass held behind her and she sat beside him. For a moment, she did nothing. Then she reached out with the grass blade and tickled his cheek. Jack's eyes flew open and Ashi quickly took on an unassuming pose. He was suspicious of her innocent look but shut his eyes again anyway and they settled back into silence. The second time, the grass blade tickled his nose.

When he opened his eyes, he only caught sight of the grass as it flew to hide behind her. Ah, he thought, so that's the game now. With a small smile, he shut his eyes once more.

This time, at the first touch of the grass on his skin, his arm shot out and caught hers pulling her towards him. She must have pulled back too far from the shock of suddenly being tugged because they somehow lost their balance and began rolling down the hill. In the tumble, Jack wrapped his arms protectively around Ashi shielding her with his body as they rolled.

They came to a stop at the bottom in the field surrounded by grass. Ashi opened her eyes slowly and found that she was lying on top of him with his arms securely around her. She looked up to see his face – to see if he was alright – and then their eyes met.

She sat up slowly and he followed. He turned her face towards him, also meaning to see if she was okay but the look she gave him made him understand that he was done for. Jack had never even remotely felt anything romantic for anyone – not for the 50 years he had travelled and not in the years before his first fight with Aku.

Ashi was his first companion on his quest and he had known he had a duty to her, to teach her the truth about Aku and possibly how to love the world and how to differentiate foes and threats from friends and allies. Then he'd begun noticing a few things here and there – how beautiful she looked in the sunlight, how her eyes crinkled when she was excited, how graceful she was as she moved… he hadn't thought much of it before.

Now there was a bit of red on her cheeks as she looked back at him. Some blades of grass were caught in her hair. He reached up and removed one but couldn't move his hand from her hair. They both seemed to feel the pull at the same time. She leaned forward, one hand on his shoulder and he drew her closer with one hand in her hair.

Then their lips met.

Ashi had never experienced a kiss before, even though she had seen a few couples do it on their journey and only thought it a strange ritual. Now, pressed up against Jack, she felt a thrill run clear through to her toes. His arm wrapped around her waist holding her tightly to him. Her arms wove around his neck and one hand went into his hair, belatedly realising that it had come free of its pin. Like this, she realised, she liked it exactly like this.

Seeing other couples kiss, she'd thought it was intimate and felt some embarrassment at such a display but she'd never imagined it could be like this. It was magic and fire and some deep feeling she'd kept hidden away from the very beginning. She settled on top of him, angling her mouth to fit onto his.

And it felt perfect. She whimpered as his hand squeezed her waist and they drew apart slowly for breath. He looked into her eyes breathing heavily even though they'd barely done anything strenuous. She shut her eyes, completely sure her face was on fire. This was so embarrassing – all the feelings, all the meanings behind it. How on earth did other couples do things like it in public? It had felt so intimate. Everywhere he'd touched still tingled. Even his hand resting on her waist felt distinctly warm…

Jack sat watching her for a moment with her face turning red and her eyes squeezed shut. He'd never thought, never imagined… but there it was. This was happening. And it was happening to both of them. What were they going to do? He had no idea. Up until a moment ago, she had been his companion and his student – attractive, yes, but nothing more.

Getting involved with her would put her in danger – probably his whole quest would be jeopardised – especially if Aku ever found out that she was important to him. The thing is, she had already been special to him. From the moment he'd decided to spare her instead of killing her like her sisters, his fate had been sealed. This too, he supposed, was fate. And now they had a path to walk together. It was uncertain and dark and possibly very dangerous, but Jack had walked a similar road before. Only this time, he was not alone.

Running a hand through her hair, Jack smiled and kissed her nose.

Her eyes flew open in surprise but she settled into a shy smile when their eyes met. He rose and helped her up taking her hand in his, then he led her back up the hill to get his sword. She looked down at her shoes the entire time. He slipped it through the belt of his ghi and then took her hand again. She was startled by the action but when she saw the look on his face, she smiled.

Together, they went down the hill, through the field and headed to their next destination.


End file.
